Martin Schilling

There was a time when entrepreneurs built companies that catered to instant gratification. I believe this time is over. It is time to elevate a new class of entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurs who solve the big problems of our time, who bolster the sovereignty of our nations, who leverage breakthroughs in science to enhance human and planetary health - Deep Tech founders in Europe. As investor, founder and author, my professional life is dedicated to the Deep Tech inventors of the 21st century. To that end, I have invested in more than 70 early-stage startups, supported more than 1000 founders raising more than 100 million EUR, co-scaled the FinTech N26 and co-founded Deep Tech Momentum as Europe’s leading marketplace for Deep Tech capital and customers. Our goal is to make Germany and Europe the world's leading Deep Tech ecosystem by establishing 100 more Deep Tech unicorns in Europe by 2030. This will create millions of jobs and help Europe to regain its technological sovereignty. To support startups on their journey to build category-leading technology companies, I have also written the book "The Builder’s Guide to the Tech Galaxy – 99 Practices to Scale Startups into Unicorns Companies" (Haufe, Wiley). More details: www.buildersguide.org. I am hosting a podcast series (in German) 'Vom Startup zum Unicorn' with Florian Heinemann (Project A) and Joel Kaczmarek (Digital Kompakt). Listen in here: www.digitalkompakt.de/playlist/unicorn